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The Balogun crisis casts its shadow
The 2026 World Cup refereeing controversy over US striker Folarin Balogun looks set to continue as France’s Monte Carlo revealed that the French Football Federation has appealed to FIFA to overturn Michael Oliz’s yellow card ahead of the upcoming quarter-final clash against Morocco.
The French move came hours after FIFA decided to suspend American striker Folarin Balogun’s automatic ban and allow him to play against Belgium, a decision that drew widespread opposition from the Belgian federation and European Football Association (Uefa), amid fears it would open up penalty appeals during the tournament.
According to the radio “Monte Carlo”The French Federation has already sent an official file to FIFA, asking to cancel the warning received by Olissey during the victory over Paraguay (1-0) in the round of 16.
The card came in the 90th minute of the match, following a collision between the Bayern Munich winger and Paraguayan player Matias Galarza, in which Olis pulled the opponent’s shirt before the latter fell to the ground holding his face, although the footage did not show any direct attack to the face, according to the French.
The French national team believes the warning was undeserved, and has backed its request with a series of videos it says prove Olissey did not commit the offense that warranted the card.
The issue is of particular importance for the French national team, as Olissi faces disqualification from the semi-finals if he receives another yellow card during the quarter-final match against Morocco.
For this reason, the French Federation is seeking to lift the current warning so that the player can enter the match without the risk of missing the next match if the Roosters qualify.
The French move comes as the Folarin Balogun case still dominates the scene, after FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee decided to suspend the USA forward’s automatic red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which allowed him to take part in the round of 16 against Belgium.
The decision sparked angry reactions as the Belgian federation issued two successive statements confirming the decision was against FIFA and World Cup regulations. He threatened to take all possible legal measuresMeanwhile, UEFA described the incident as a dangerous precedent affecting the integrity of the competition.
